Conroe girl killed in accident in Leon County

Nancy Flake

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Shawna Samantha Voitle, 15, was killed after she was ejected from the late model Isuzu Rodeo sports utility vehicle her mother, Robin Jewel Voitle, was driving when the right rear tire ruptured around 3 p.m. on Interstate 45, about 3 miles south of Centerville in Leon County. Robin Voitle, 36, lost control of the vehicle and the Rodeo rolled over several times, according to Texas Department of Public Safety officials.

Both mother and daughter were wearing seat belts when the accident occurred, DPS officials said. Shawna Voitle died at the scene and Robin Voitle was airlifted to Hillcrest Baptist Hospital in Waco with leg and internal injuries.

Robin Voitle was released from Hillcrest Baptist Hospital Wednesday morning, according to hospital officials.

Shawna had just finished her freshman year at Oak Ridge High School, and her smile and sweet personality are going to be missed, two of her friends noted.

"She was a very happy person, always smiling," said 14-year-old Ashlee St. Louis, who had known Shawna about two years. "There was nothing bad you could say about her. She'd never be upset and if she was, she'd be over it in two minutes."

Another friend, 15-year-old Jourdan Hirte, called Shawna "a great person."

"I always had fun when I was with her," she said. "She was a good person to be around."

Both St. Louis and Hirte will be sophomores at Oak Ridge High School when school starts at August, and for St. Louis, her friend's absence means school will be a bit less fun.

"When we hung out at school, it was always fun," she said. "She'd make you laugh.

"I loved Shawna."

Shawna Voitle is survived by her mother, Robin, and father, Shawn, brothers, Justin and A.J., grandparents, aunts, uncles and "friends too numerous to count," her obituary states. Visitation will take place from 6-8 p.m. today at Forest Park The Woodlands Chapel, located at 18000 Interstate 45 S., with funeral services to be held at 2 p.m. Friday, also at Forest Park The Woodlands Chapel. Pastor Arthur Craig will officiate. Interment will follow at Forest Park The Woodlands Cemetery.